KEHOE REWORKS BILL ON ABORTION PROVIDERS

Sacramento 
In a strategic move to ensure passage, Sen. Christine Kehoe Tuesday dramatically scaled back the reach of her controversial measure to redefine who is authorized to provide a certain kind of first-trimester abortion.

Kehoe, D-San Diego, originally proposed legislation that could have allowed up to 24,000 trained nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants to perform the procedure.

But with the measure facing stiff opposition and dissension among abortion-rights advocates, Kehoe on Tuesday discarded the broader provisions and instead proposes to limit the authority to just 41 of those specific professionals who have participated in a University of California San Francisco study related to abortion.

The recast measure passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee on a party-line 5-2 vote. It is scheduled to be taken up by the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee Thursday.

Kehoe amended her original bill under pressure by committee deadlines. The measure has to advance out of Senate policy committees this week or it could be shelved for the year.

Kathy Kneer, president of Planned Parenthood, said the groups will use the next few weeks to negotiate an agreement on how to word the bill to ensure more clinicians can perform the abortions. The original legislation could have potentially affected as many as 24,000.

Carol Hogan, director of Pastoral Projects and Communications for the California Catholic Conference, said the measure puts women’s health at risk by having “midlevel professionals” perform the procedure.

Preliminary results from the University of California San Francisco program found there is no added health risk to women who use trained nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistance.